Children’s Rights
Florida Appellate Court Disqualifies Judge in Gender-Transition Child Removal Case
Did the judge's remarks "suggest[] she had predetermined that the father had no right to oppose gender transition or otherwise direct the child's upbringing based upon his moral and religious beliefs"?
Parents Investigated for Letting 7-Year-Old Get a Cookie From the Store
"You just can't raise kids like that anymore—it isn't safe," the cops told the Widner family.
DeSantis Vetoed a Social Media Age-Verification Law, but That Doesn't Mean He Won't Sign a New One
A law forcing kids off social media sites is still likely coming to Florida.
Iowa Court Clears Mom of Endangerment Charges After She Let Kids Babysit
"No parent can shield a child from all risks," the Iowa Supreme Court ruled.
Mississippi Police Arrested a 10-Year-Old for Peeing Behind His Mom's Car. Now, the Family Is Suing
Third-grader Quantavious Eason was arrested and charged as a "child in need of services" after being caught peeing behind his mother's car.
States Try To Strip Sex From Literature in Libraries, Schools
These aren't outright bans. But they still can chill free speech and academic freedom.
School's Referring to Student by Student-Preferred Name and Pronouns Likely Doesn't Violate …
the parent's constitutional parental rights, including when the school conceals this from the parent.
NYC Child Protection Agency Uses 'Coercive Tactics' To Bully Parents Into Allowing Warrantless Searches
According to a new lawsuit, NYC's child protection agency almost never obtained warrants when it searched over 50,000 family homes during abuse and neglect investigations.
Are Parents Too Involved in Their Adult Children's Lives?
A recent Pew survey says parents are "very involved in their young adult children's lives," but one might quibble with the definition of "very involved."
They Had Their Baby At Home. 2 Years Later, They Still Can't Get a Birth Certificate.
Teresa and Jeff Williams had their son, JJ, at home without medical help. They didn't know it would be nearly impossible to get legal documents for him.
Kids Have First Amendment Rights Too, Federal Judge Reminds State Lawmakers
Banning people under age 16 from accessing social media without parental consent "is a breathtakingly blunt instrument" for reducing potential harms, the judge writes.
Even Canada Thinks the Nanny State Has Gone Too Far on Outlawing Fun
A new white paper from the Canadian Pediatric Society recommends more unstructured play time for kids.
Review: Exposing a Broken Juvenile Court System
Kids were jailed for minor offenses, as detailed in The Kids of Rutherford County podcast.
Family Court Ordered Grandmother, Who Had Custody of Child, Not to Testify Against Father at His Parole Hearing
The N.H. Supreme Court reversed the order.
Want to Use Social Media? Utah Wants You to Hand Over Your ID.
A new lawsuit is challenging a Utah law that requires age verification to use social media and forces minors to get their parents permission first.
Toronto Bans Tobogganing on 45 Hills, Puts Up Warning Signs
"The fear of liability is ruining modern childhood," says one mom.
May Court Suspend Father's Supervised Parenting Time Until Father Gives Password to Thumb Drives That Might (or Might Not) Contain Child Pornography?
The father had an earlier history of sexually assaulting children.
10 Stories That Drove Free-Range Parents Crazy in 2023
And some good news, after all.
10-Year-Old Kid Offered Probation for Peeing Behind His Mom's Car
His mom is rejecting the prosecutors' absurdly strict probation rules.
Millions of Kids Left Classrooms During the Pandemic. New Data Show 50,000 Hadn't Returned 2 Years Later.
According to an analysis from the Associated Press, 50,000 children in 22 states were still missing from schools in fall 2022.
A Tennessee Youth Detention Center Has Been Illegally Throwing Kids in Solitary Confinement
An investigation from ProPublica shows that one Knoxville-area facility is putting kids in solitary but skirting scrutiny by classifying the seclusion as "voluntary."
Take Care of Maya Verdict Could Help Mom Who Lost Kids After False Diagnosis
"People understand that these child abuse pediatricians have unlimited power," says Aaron Rapier, an attorney for the Kruegers.
Kids at Oklahoma Football Games Must Sit With Their Parents
Students in four Oklahoma school districts are also required to wear their school ID on a lanyard and sit on their own team's side.
Illinois Youth Lockup Is 'No Place for Children,' According to ACLU Lawsuit
Children held in the Franklin County Juvenile Detention Center are routinely subjected to solitary confinement, inadequate meals, and filthy cells, according to legal documents.
New Jersey Secretly Stores Your Newborn's Blood for Decades
According to a new lawsuit, New Jersey has handed over leftover blood from newborn genetic testing to law enforcement and sold it to third parties.
Just 15 Percent of Parents With Preteens Would Let Them Trick-or-Treat Alone
A new study shows the pervasiveness of helicopter parenting.
Teenage Trick-Or-Treaters Are Too Scary For These Cities
Across the country, ghoulish cities have outlawed teenage trick-or-treaters.
Overcrowding Causes 'Unsafe and Unsanitary' Conditions for Youth In Philadelphia Jail
According to legal documents, children have been forced to sleep on the floor of offices and gymnasiums, with limited access to bathrooms and showers.
Louisiana Mother of Autistic Child Hit by Teacher Files Supreme Court Petition
School officials in three states are effectively immune from lawsuits over excessive corporal punishment. A Louisiana mother is asking the Supreme Court to step in.
Meth-Laced Halloween Candy Is a Very Unlikely Danger for Kids
These kinds of poisonings are rare to nonexistent.
Sixth Circuit Reverses Preliminary Injunctions Against TN & KY Laws Restricting Gender Dysphoria Treatments for Minors (Updated)
After a divided ruling, laws limiting such treatments in Tennessee and Kentucky will go into force.
Florida Is Giving Foster Children Powerful Psychotropic Drugs Without Proper Records, Audit Finds
More than 1 in 3 Florida foster kids over 13 is taking psychotropic medications, but the state often doesn't follow rules requiring it to keep records of prescriptions.
When the Left and Right Came Together To Applaud Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
A Republican, a Communist, and a Catholic conservative walk onto a movie set...
Police Threaten To Arrest 11-Year-Old Victim of Child Porn
"Doesn't matter," says the officer. "She's still making porn."
That School Is Still Treading on Jaiden Rodriguez's Free Speech Rights
The district is still censoring the Gadsden flag patch as well as Second Amendment advocacy, according to FIRE.
Town Closes Playground Due to Mouse Sighting
This could be just the tip of the (m)iceberg.
Don't Tread on Jaiden! School District Learns Its Lesson
The 12-year-old boy kicked out of class for sporting a Gadsden flag patch is back in school.
Playground Sign Outlaws 'Loitering at Slide Entry or Exit'
"This is literally a playground that's for 2- to 5-year-olds," says former preschool teacher Katie Courtney.
Sex Workers Want Rights, Not Rescue
Horrible things are happening to vulnerable people, but we cannot help them by sending groups of vigilantes or law enforcement officers to hunt them.
Sixth Circuit Stays Preliminary Injunction Against Tennessee Law Limiting Gender-Affirming Treatments for Minors
A divided panel concludes the plaintiffs are unlikely to prevail on the merits and pledges to expedite the appeal.
Momfluencer Sentenced to 90 Days in Jail Over False Kidnapping Report
"Nobody is abducting 1- and 4-year-old kids into sex trafficking," says the director of the Crimes Against Children Research Center.
Free-Range Kids in Virginia, Connecticut, and Illinois Celebrate a Very Special Independence Day
New reasonable childhood independence laws in these states will make it easier for parents to let children enjoy the holiday.
Supreme Court's Sidestep Leaves Native Kids Without Answers
While intended to keep Native families together, the ICWA subjects American Indian children to a lower level of protection than is enjoyed by non-Native kids.
Schools Have No Constitutional Obligation to Try to Keep Students from Having Sex in the Parking Lot
"[T]he Does cannot wield the constitutional right to parent as a sword to require the district to adopt policies that help them to direct and control their son's choices," and likewise as to the right to free exercise of religion.